The Illinois State flag includes the emblem of the Illinois
State Shield on a white field. The name of the state represented by the flag, Illinois,
is printed below the emblem in blue upper case letters. The Bald Eagle, representing the
US, holds a red streamer in its beak. The state motto on the Illinois state flag, "State
sovereignty, national union," means that Illinois governs itself under the government of
the US. In the Bald Eagle's talons is a shield with thirteen bars and thirteen stars
representing the original thirteen colonies. The date Illinois was admitted to the Union
and the date of the State Seal are printed on the boulder of the Illinois State Flag.
The ground around the boulder symbolizes the rich soil of this prairie state.
